Alpine Endurance Team leaves Barcelona with both A424s in the points, although the final classification fell short of the potential shown during the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Following consecutive podium finishes in Austin and Fuji, Les Bleus faced a different challenge at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The A424's previous visit dated back to its early development in 2023, making practice an important opportunity to understand the car's behaviour and tyre management requirements.
The team focused its preparation on performance race pace, particularly on selecting the most suitable tyre compound between soft and medium, taking into account track tempratures and the high tyre degradation on the racing line. That work provided a solid foundation for qualifying, with the two A424s securing fourth and seventh on the grid.
Rain coming only at the start added another challenge. Ferdinand Habsburg's #35 was caught in contact with a Cadillac in the opening corners, dropping to the back of the field and immediately compromising its race. Ferdinand and Charles Milesi nevertheless continued their recovery to bring the car home tenth.
In the #36, Jules Gounon negotiated the difficult opening conditions to keep the crew in contention. Victor Martins continued that effort as the race evolved, with competitive pace and an adjusted pit-stop strategy helping the car challenge for a top-five finish.
An earlier stop allowed the #36 to avoid traffic and exploit clear track to perform quick laps and pass comptetitors having pitstops, coming to the front fight. However, a late loss of pressure in the right-rear tyre required an additional stop, ending the crew's hopes of converting its performance into a stronger result. Jules and Victor were ultimately classified eighth.
With both cars scoring points, Alpine Endurance Team now prepares for Monza with the ambition of delivering a final performance worthy of the progress and commitment shown throughout the programme.
QUOTES
Crew #35
Charles Milesi
“It was an unfortunate race. We were caught up in an incident at the first corner, which compromised our chances of scoring good points. The pace was there, but after that setback, we couldn't fight for the result we had hoped for.”
Ferdinand Habsburg
“I'm very disappointed with today's result. Being caught up in an incident at the start was frustrating, as there was nothing I could do. We'll never know how the race might have unfolded without it. I wish I could have delivered more for the team and for myself. In the wet, everything was going well, but as the track dried, I struggled to find my rhythm. We still came away with a point, and now we'll look ahead to the next race.”
Crew #36
Jules Gounon
“I'm disappointed with the result because I think fifth place was possible, but a slow puncture late in the race cost us that opportunity. It's frustrating after fighting hard throughout the race. Thank you to the team for all their efforts. We brought both cars home in the points, but the result was clearly below what we were aiming for.”
Victor Martins
“We knew it would be a challenging race, but I think we did a good job. Jules drove an excellent opening stint, keeping the car clean while fighting for positions in difficult conditions. We then took a different strategic approach to maximise our pace and manage the traffic. A top-five finish, perhaps better, was within reach. Unfortunately, a right-rear puncture late in the race compromised that opportunity, and we finished eighth. It's frustrating to lose that result so close to the finish.”
Management
Nicolas Lapierre, Sporting Director Alpine Endurance Team
“It was a very difficult day. The #35 was hit in the opening corners, which immediately compromised its race. We had decent pace in tricky conditions, and the #36 was fighting for a top-five finish before a late tyre issue cost us that opportunity. It's a disappointing result.”
Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Endurance Team
“We knew Barcelona would be a demanding challenge. The team worked hard to understand the car and tyre behaviour, and fourth and seventh in qualifying rewarded that preparation. The race was more difficult: the #35's chances were compromised by contact at the start, while the #36 fought for a top-five finish before a late tyre pressure loss forced an additional stop. The result does not reflect our potential or the team's efforts, but it takes nothing away from our motivation to finish strongly at Monza.”
CLASSIFICATIONS
6 Hours of Barcelona – Hypercar Classification
1..Toyota Racing #8 – Sébastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa
2..Toyota Racing #7 – Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries
3..Ferrari AF Corse #50 – Antonio Fuoco / Miguel Molina / Nicklas Nielsen
4..Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA #38 – Earl Bamber / Sébastien Bourdais / Jack Aitken
5..AF Corse #83 – Yifei Ye / Robert Kubica / Phil Hanson
6..Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA #12 – Will Stevens / Norman Nato / Alex Lynn
7..BMW M Team WRT #15 – Kevin Magnussen / Raffaele Marciello / Dries Vanthoor
8..Alpine Endurance Team #36 – Jules Gounon / Victor Martins
9..Aston Martin THOR Team #009 – Alex Riberas / Marco Sørensen
10.Alpine Endurance Team #35 – Charles Milesi / Ferdinand Habsburg
11.Genesis Magma Racing #19 – Mathieu Jaminet / Paul-Loup Chatin / Dani Juncadella
12.Peugeot TotalEnergies #93 – Paul di Resta / Nick Cassidy / Alex Quinn
13.Peugeot TotalEnergies #94 – Loïc Duval / Malthe Jakobsen / Théo Pourchaire
14.BMW M Team WRT #20 – Robin Frijns / René Rast / Sheldon van der Linde
15.Ferrari AF Corse #51 – Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi
16.Genesis Magma Racing #17 – André Lotterer / Pipo Derani / Mathys Jaubert ...
FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship
1.Toyota – 212 points
2.BMW – 154 points
3.Ferrari – 130 points
4.Cadillac – 118 points
5.Alpine – 104 points
6.Aston Martin – 58 points
7.Peugeot – 24 points
8.Genesis – 14 points
